Shoppers Drug Mart/Pharmaprix believes that when Canadian women are healthy and well, Canada is healthy and well. We play a significant role in improving women’s overall health and well-being through Shoppers Drug Mart/Pharmaprix WOMEN, which has committed in excess of $40 million over five years to support this cause. Shoppers Drug Mart/Pharmaprix Associate-owners are dedicated to serving the health care needs of patients and customers in their communities. Supporting local, regional and national women’s health organizations is a passion shared by all Associate-owners, their store teams and our central and regional office employees.

Our focus on women’s health positively impacted the communities we serve across the country in 2012. This report highlights just a few examples of our support. To learn more about our charitable activities, you can visit shoppersdrugmart.ca/women.

Tree of Life

Now in its 11th year, the 2012 Shoppers Drug Mart/Pharmaprix Tree of Life campaign provided much needed funding for 450 women’s health organizations across Canada. Thanks to the incredible support of Shoppers Drug Mart/Pharmaprix Associate-owners, store teams and customers, the Tree of Life campaign raised over $2.8 million, a 30% increase over the prior year’s results. The campaign, which takes place in all Shoppers Drug Mart/Pharmaprix stores, directs 100% of the proceeds to women’s health organizations chosen by each Associate-owner, best reflecting local community needs.

The Pink Tour

This past year, Shoppers Drug Mart/Pharmaprix WOMEN supported the Pink Tour, a partnership with the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation, Ontario Region. The Pink Tour was a summer-long bus tour designed to inform and educate the public about breast cancer screening given that screening rates in Ontario have fallen below the national target. The bus provided an interactive, engaging and informative experience and offered eligible women an opportunity to sign up for a mammogram.

The Pink Tour visited 75 Shoppers Drug Mart stores and 50 community events. During the campaign, over 35,000 people visited the bus and 459 women booked an appointment for a mammogram through the Ontario Breast Screening Program. Shoppers Drug Mart Associate-owners and pharmacists fully embraced this program as the Pink Tour was an opportunity to engage with people in their local communities and helped elevate the profession of pharmacy as a provider of community-based health care solutions.

“There’s so much that Shoppers Drug Mart has done and continues to do in the area of breast cancer awareness and there’s so much synergy between our organizations in terms of trying to help women make good health decisions.”

A national partner of Shoppers Drug Mart/Pharmaprix WOMEN, FacingCancer.ca is unique in that it provides support for women living with cancer, via a digital medium. This past year, Shoppers Drug Mart/Pharmaprix, along with FacingCancer.ca, launched the “Tell Her” Movement in stores and online.

The “Tell Her” Movement gives Canadians a simple way to send an inspirational message of support to a woman with cancer, while also making her aware of the valuable online community and resources available for her at FacingCancer.ca. In addition to providing a supportive online community, the site also offers informative articles and resources to help women manage the social and emotional challenges of living with cancer. The “Tell Her” Movement provides three thoughtful e-card templates that users can personalize and send to a woman with cancer. With a strong support network, women are better able to face their illness with hope and optimism.

In all that we do, whether locally, regionally or nationally, Shoppers Drug Mart/Pharmaprix Associate-owners and their store teams passionately support Shoppers Drug Mart/Pharmaprix WOMEN. We are striving to make a real and lasting difference in the health and well-being of Canadian women and our charitable programs and efforts ensure that the health of Canadian women will only get stronger.